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Indonesia Holds Unprecedented Talks on the 1965 Massacres

For decades, the massacres of 1965 have
been spoken about in whispers – if at all.

Attempts to openly discuss the murder of
at least half a million suspected communists in Indonesia have repeatedly been
censored, shut down and subject to violent attacks.

But this week, a symposium on the events
marks the first time there has been open discussion about this bloody chapter
of the country’s past.

As journalists from KBR radio report, there
is hope the talks will be a stepping-stone to a broader reconciliation process.

The
massacres of 1965 have been described as one of the worst crimes of the 20th
Century.

The
killings began after an alleged coup, and the death of six army generals, which
was blamed on the communists.

Sumini
was a local leader of Gerwani, a women’s organization linked to the Indonesian
communist party, or PKI, at the time the third-largest communist party in the
world after China and the Soviet Union.

She
was detained for more than six years for her connection to the party, and
recalls the treatment upon her arrest.

“Every
time I was interrogated, my feet placed under the table and the interrogators
would sit on the table until I lost consciousness. That happened often.”

For
more than half a century the events of 1965 have remained deeply sensitive. The
truth of what happened, long silenced.

With
anti-communist propaganda a key part of Indonesia’s historical narrative, generations
of Indonesians have grown up learning the killings were heroic, and justified.

Even
a decades long decree that sees 40 million Indonesians banned from jobs in the
government and military if their grandparent, or great grandparent was a
suspected communist, is still in place.

It’s
the reason why this week’s symposium in Jakarta is so important.

The two-day event
was an unprecedented public forum for airing the grisly details of what really
happened back then – mass executions, kidnappings and rape.

For
the first time victims and survivors were given the opportunity to publicly describe
the atrocities committed by government and paramilitary troops, and Islamic
organizations.

There
are still tensions but finally the state has been willing to listen, explains
Agus Wijoyo, one of the organizers of the symposium.

“We
hope to bring together two parties that are directly related. Both who had a
role in government agencies and family victims of former PKI members. But there
is so much rejection because the dynamic is very high,” Wijoyo commented.

The
government’s willingness to support the 1965 event inspired hope the talks
could lead to a deeper reconciliation process, and justice for the victims.

But as soon as the symposium started, it was apparent
that some clear lines had already been drawn.

Security Minister Luhut Panjaitan admitted that
Indonesia must make peace with its past, but ruled out the government offering
any official apology.

“The
government has no intention to apologize. We're not that stupid. I would say to
you that we knew what we were doing and it was the best for this country,” the
Minister stated.

For
years the government has resisted any real discussion of the 1965 atrocities.

In
2012 it rejected a comprehensive investigation and report by the national human
rights body. At the time, the attorney
general said the perpetrators would never face trial.

Some
in the human rights community worry this week’s symposium might be used as way
to swept the issue under the rug, for good, and avoid a deeper, and more
painful, truth and reconciliation process.

Dolorosa
Sinaga, from the International People’s Tribunal, says these talks are just the
first step.

“We urge
the government not to use this symposium as a reason to declare that the problems
and cases of 1965 have been completed. We cannot accept it. We in the civil
society, the families of the victims, and academics as well, will continue to
encourage and urge the government to solve the cases of ‘65.”